There is
so much to be said for attentiveness, warmth, and competency. Those
three
elements have the potential to turn any experience into a 5-star event.
As I’ve
noted previously, a
5-star experience is not necessarily about having luxurious
surroundings. I have experienced world-class service
in some of the most unlikely places. That, to me, is the most inspiring
part of
all. Anyone, in any setting, in any industry CAN provide a memorable
service
experience (if they really want to).

The Grand
Bazaar

During a
trip to Istanbul, Turkey I had an opportunity to visit the famous Grand
Bazaar.
The Grand Bazaar is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in
the world.
It contains over 3000 small shops, and some of the shops are so small
that it’s
hard to turn around without bumping into something. One clothing store
that I
entered was similarly small. The store owner gave me a warm welcome,
invited me
to have a seat (on a box), and offered a complimentary cup of green
tea. We had
not even discussed me buying clothes yet! I ended up purchasing a
leather
jacket and a few other items. Give what you can…with what you have.

Gypsy
Taxi

Something
major happened to me when I was still living on St. Thomas, and it
helped shape
my entire outlook on service. I was a junior in high school, and ended
up
missing the 6:30AM school bus. Fortunately, I had a few dollars with
me, so I
walked a few miles to a nearby shopping center, where I knew that
“gypsy” taxis
would be. Years ago in St. Thomas, we referred to gypsy taxis as any
cab that
didn’t belong to an official taxi company; basically, anyone with a car
who
wanted to make a little extra money could be a gypsy taxi. As I
approached the
shopping center, there was only one driver available. We walked to his
car, and
I noticed that it looked broken down, with peeling paint. Plus, a
headlight was
loosened. Then something remarkable happened.

He
opened the car door for me (back seat), had a newspaper on
the backseat and was very polished (yet warm) in
his conversation with me as we drove. He even referred to me as, “Mr.
Bryan”.
Keep in mind that I was 16 years old at the time. I am now in my
mid-thirties
and have been chauffeured many times in towncars and other luxury
vehicles
around the globe. With a few exceptions over the years, I have not come
across
anyone who is on the caliber of that gypsy taxi driver. Some of the
most
memorable service is what you deliver from your heart, regardless of
the
resources you have.

Gratitude

Ultimately,
providing great service is a conscious decision. It’s not something
that can or
should be begrudgingly done. Genuinely engaging service should be
heartfelt. It
should make the customer feel like you are interested in his/her
well-being. No
matter how brief the service experience is, customers should feel like
their
well-being is important to whoever is serving them.

So, how
can this all be translated into action steps? We can go through the
usual list
that contains things like “smile, anticipate needs, follow-up on
customer
complaints, etc, etc”. Truthfully, a quick Google search can reveal a
similar
list. Even attentiveness, warmth and competency are fairly common
action items.
One thing that I’ve noticed that separates some of the best service
from the
rest is gratitude. Often times, the best service comes from people who
exude a strong sense of gratitude. These are appreciative for not only
having a
job, but also are happy for the opportunity to serve others. It’s
unmistakable.
There seems to be an inner-joy that may or not be reflective of their
socio-economic place in the world. But the joy that they infuse into
their
service makes them seem abundantly wealthy. You almost look at them in
awe.
Even more beautiful, is how they manage to make EVERY customer feel
like he/she
is the only one being served at the moment.

One of
the best things you can do is to acknowledge and celebrate
those service superstars when
you see them. Chances are that they don't nearly the type of
recognition that
you might expect. If the world had more taxi drivers and Bazaar shop
owners
like I described, I can't help but think that the overall level of
service
worldwide would improve as well.